SHARE

Prince Harry to marry US girlfriend Meghan Markle

SHARE

Britain’s Prince Harry proposed to his American actor girlfriend Meghan Markle as they prepared a roast chicken dinner at a royal residence in London, he revealed last night.

The fifth in line to the throne went down on one knee to propose to Ms Markle some 16 months after they first started dating secretly out of the public spotlight.

He told the BBC that “this beautiful woman just sort of literally tripped and fell into my life, I fell into her life".

The couple are due to marry in spring 2018 with Ms Markle set to give up her acting career to take on the responsibilities of a full-time royal.

The couple became engaged earlier this month, his father Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, said in a statement. It said 36-year-old Ms Markle has met Queen Elizabeth II, and Harry, 33, also has received the blessing of Ms Markle's parents.

Harry, wearing a blue suit and tie, said he was "thrilled". A beaming Ms Markle, in a white belted coat, showed off her engagement ring to photographers, which includes two diamonds that belonged to Princess Diana.

Royal officials said Harry designed the ring himself. It features two diamonds from the collection of his late mother, who died in 1997 when Harry was 12. They flank a central diamond from Botswana.

Britain's Kensington Palace, where Prince Harry and his fiance Meghan Markle will live when they are married, is seen in London. Toby Melville / Reuters

Town crier Tony Appleton shouts as he holds a scroll outside Green Park in central London near Buckingham Palace after it was announced that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are engaged. Jonathan Brady / PA via AP

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness.”

Speaking during a visit to Dorset, Prince Charles added that he was "thrilled" and "very happy indeed" for his son and Ms Markle.

Harry's brother, Prince William, also put out a statement saying he was "very excited" by the news.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said: “We are very excited for Harry and Meghan. It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together.”

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said of the engagement:

'We are very excited for Harry and Meghan. It has been wonderful getting to

know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together.'
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal)
November 27, 2017

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May offered her "warmest congratulations" to the newly-engaged couple, in a tweet on Monday morning.

I would like to offer my very warmest congratulations to HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle upon their engagement.

This is a time of huge celebration for two people in love and, on behalf of myself, the Government and the country, I wish them great happiness for the future. https://t.co/Sfx76X98BW
— Theresa May (@theresa_may)
November 27, 2017

Congratulations also flooded in from other senior politicians, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who said: "Congratulations to Harry and Meghan. I wish them well. I hope they have a great time and great fun together and having met Harry a couple of times I’m sure they are going to have a great deal of fun together."

Harry and Ms Markle made their first public appearance as a couple this September, when they were pictured holding hands at the Invictus Games in Canada.

Also in September, Ms Markle gave an interview to Vanity Fair magazine in which she revealed that the couple were “in love”, sending speculation about their relationship into overdrive.

Ms Markle said that she and Harry were “two people who are really happy” in remarks which shortened the odds on the likelihood of another royal wedding.

The actress also opened up about the couple’s early courtship, explaining that they had been together for six months before news of their relationship became common knowledge. “I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people’s perception,” she told the magazine.

Meghan Markle. Jewel Samad / AFP Photo

“We’re a couple. We’re in love. I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us.

“It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours. But we’re happy. Personally, I love a great love story.”

Prince Harry. John Stillwell / AP Photo

Before taking Ms Markle's hand in marriage, the prince sought and received the blessing of her parents.